Seat Disputes strains Congress–Muslim League Ties Ahead of Kerala Local Body Elections

Kottayam: As the state is closing in on the local body elections, rift deepens between allies Congress and Muslim League in Kottayam. Congress has recently rejected league's request for seats in the Kottayam district panchayat. League district leaders have accused the Congress of violating a promise made five years ago by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The Congress’s refusal to allocate the seats demanded by the Muslim League in municipalities and panchayats has intensified tensions between the two parties. Discussions between League and the Congress regarding seat allocation for the upcoming local body elections were held on Sunday.

The League has demanded the Mundakayam division of the district panchayat, intending to field district president Azeez Badaiyil as their candidate. However, the Congress refused to concede the seat. The League’s alternate demand for Erumeli was also rejected as the League leaders reminded the Congress that they had withdrawn their claim to Mundakayam in the 2020 elections only because Oommen Chandy had promised the seat would be allotted to them in 2025.

League also faced disappointment in its seat demands in Changanassery and Ettumanoor municipalities and the Mundakayam panchayat. They also pointed out that while the Congress was given seats in Erattupetta, where the League has a strong presence, and was offered representation in Malabar districts, the same consideration was not extended to the League.

They also highlighted that while the Congress allotted eight seats in the district panchayat to the Kerala Congress (P. J. Joseph faction), it denied even a single seat to the Muslim League, a much stronger party across the state. The League has decided that this situation cannot be ignored and will bring the matter to the attention of the state president, Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal.